How To Grow Sprouts (Time to Get Sprouting!)

by Ross Bridgeford

Growing Sprouts for Health & Energy

When I first started learning about alkalising, sprouting was definitely one of those things that I put into the ‘too hard’ basket. It just sounded like something that would be a lot of effort, require expensive equipment, gardening skills and would generally be more effort than it was worth. How wrong was I? It is really easy and it is really, really cheap. And it is a really, REALLY great way to get an instant, easy nutrient hit!

In fact, I remember, just a few weeks after I had first started on this quest to become alkaline my friend rang me to tell me that he’d just harvested his first batch of fresh sprouts! I couldn’t believe it! He told me how quick, cheap and easy it was and so within six days (and under £10) I had my own batch ready to go in salads, juices, steam-frys and just to grab a handful to snack on.

It was so easy, and let’s face it, I was quite proud of my achievement too. I remember quite clearly my first harvest was of alfalfa, mung bean and little radish.

Why Sprout?

Sprouts are one of the most alkalising, nutritious and easily accessible foods know to man. Being rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes, they can be grown easily in four to six days and require no effort and very little cost.

A sprout possesses all of the energy, vitamins and nutrients and power that it needs to be able to transform from a small seed into a fully-grown plant. For this reason, at this stage of it’s growth, the nutritional value of the seedling is at its highest. For instance, sprouted lettuce seeds can contain 400% more protein than lettuce and over 3900% more beta-carotine.

Also, due to their size and taste you are able to eat hundreds of sprouted seeds at a time. In so many sprouts, you are eating the equivalent of hundreds of fully grown plants all at once – when else would you be able to get the goodness of one hundred mature plants in one meal?

Sprouts are an alkalising, living food which continue to grow and gain vitamins after being harvested, which when compared to food bought at the supermarket which begins to lose their nutrient content as soon as they are picked (and are not then consumed for weeks on end) become very attractive – especially if you are trying to add more raw food to your diet. Sprouts: Packed With Nutrients

The nutritious value of sprouts is remarkable with sprouts containing a greater concentration of vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, nitrosmines, trace minerals, bioflavinoids and chemo-protectants (such as sulphoraphane and isoflavone) which work against toxins, resist cell mutation and invigorate the body’s immune system than at any other point in the plant’s life – even when the plant is fully matured.

The abundant enzymes in sprouts also makes them easily digestible as their delicate cell walls easily release elemental nutrients.

Are you sold yet? Seriously, if you haven’t started sprouting yet, now is the time. So let’s find out…

How to Grow Sprouts

Growing sprouts is a very simple and straightforward process. You simply need a sprouter, some seeds and water. No soil, tools or skill required!

The first decision you will have to make is which sprouter to buy. There are many sprouters available on the market ranging in price and style with the three most common being:

Sprouting Jar – the cheapest option, the sprouting jar is literally that – a jar. You simply place the seeds in the tray at the bottom of the jar and you’re away. Pro’s – cheap and simple. Con’s – you can only grow one type of sprout at a time. Price approx £4-6 – CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR SPROUTING JARS

Sprouting Trays – the most common option, the sprouting tray is a multi-tiered system allowing you to grow different varieties of sprouts and/or at different speeds, so you can always have a rotation of sprouts ready to harvest. Price approx £15-20 – CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR SPROUTING TRAYS

Automatic Sprouters – the most advanced option, for the serious sprouter! Using an automatic sprouter allows you to grow an impressive amount of sprouts and much, much faster than when using the manual sprouters. These sprouters automatically mist the growing seeds and prevent mold growth (which can happen with the manual sprouters, especially with fibrous sprouts like mung bean). No plumbing or fitting is required, making them really easy to use and versatile to store. These are well worth the investment if you are serious about getting sprouts into your diet. Price approx £150 – CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR AUTOMATIC SPROUTERS

Step-by-Step Guide to Manual Sprouting:

Using a manual sprouter is really easy, and once you’ve done it a couple of times you’ll be sprouting on autopilot! Here is our simple six-step sprouting guide:

Step 1: make sure your hands and all equipment is nice and clean and then place seeds in a sieve and wash thoroughly

Step 2: soak the seeds overnight (or for approximately 12 hours) in an airtight container

Step 3: rinse the seeds really thoroughly and then place them in the germinator ensuring that they are evenly spread out and not too crammed together

Step 4: place the germinator in a well lit spot, but away from direct sunlight and keep at room temperature

Step 5: water twice daily by pouring water into the top tray and allowing to filter through the trays and into the reservoir.

Step 6: after 4-6 days your sprouts are ready to harvest! Rinse thoroughly and keep refrigerated in an airtight container. Remember to consume within 5 days)

Extra Sprouting Tips

Be careful for mold growth, but don’t be too paranoid! Mung bean and some other sprouts have fibrous hairs which can look a little mold-like!

If you use the sprouting trays try crop rotation! Stagger the growth of your sprouts so that you never run out. I used to grow them all in big batches and then have to wait days for the next batch to come through!

When watering your sprouts, once the water is fully through empty the reservoir – this will ensure that there is not too much moisture and therefore limit the possibility of mold growth

What to Sprout

You can actually sprout pretty much any seed. My personal favourites are:

Mung Bean

Alfalfa

Broccoli

Little Radish

Red Clover

Flax

Lentil

Fenugreek

Cabbage

Rocket

Click here to see more seeds!

When and how to use sprouts

Sprouts can be eaten almost anytime, with anything! Barely a meal goes by without me throwing a handful of sprouts in. When you have tried a few varieties you will see what you like, which sprouts have a strong taste and which are more neutral. I personally find that alfalfa and mung go with almost everything because they are subtle but crunchy and fresh-tasting. Whereas little radish and brocolli sprouts are a little more strong, so I tend to use these in salads and steam-frys more often.

Sprouts are also an awesome nutrient hit in juices – because you can juice a HUGE handful of sprouts into your juice you are getting all of that concentrated nutrition…erm…concentrated again!

I hope this little guide has helped to demystify sprouting for you. It really is very easy and is sooo worth it!

Ross Bridgeford is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 650 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life.

Hi Ross! Thanks for the great article on sprouting. Could you please email to the address above a quick answer to this question as I am trying to get started on the alkaline way if living. Would micro greens be an alternative nutrition wise to sprouting to add to smoothies and dishes. Is there as much nutritional value in organic micro greens as sprouts? Thanks so much for helping me. I wait to hear from you. Have a nice Monday.

I am delighted to see the above all about sprouting. I would just like to tell you about a company in America who supply a seed sprouter called a Sproutama invented and sold by Gene Monson. I have just received another 30 of them, so that they are readily available to friends of mine who are interested in promoting thier health. I have tried many, many different sprouters, and never found any as trouble free and easy to use as these. You may find it worthwhile to investigate these, and I would be very interested to hear your comments after you have had a chance to use them should you decide to purchase any.

Very informative website Ross. I really enjoyed this article along with your other article posts. Many people talk about eating sprouts but you made mention to juice them. I think that is a great idea. Why not after they are jammed with nutrition.

Yeah, if you think about it…if juicing gives you the chance to amplify the benefits of whatever you juice (because you can juice lots of it) then sprouts would become super, super concentrated nutrition! I reckon my body loves me when I throw a handful or two of sprouts into the mix!

>> About Ross

Ross is known as 'The Alkaline Diet Guy'. Author of The Alkaline Diet Recipe Book & The Alkaline Weight Loss Solution,
green drink addict and co-founder of Energise. A veteran of TEN years of living & coaching the alkaline diet. Ross makes the Alkaline Diet easy.